Dragon Valley
Lu Mingfei Crosses Over to Soul Land
Biodata
| Feature | Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Dragon Valley (龙谷) |
| Type | Dragon-beast habitat and soul-beast hunting ground |
| Affiliation | Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect / Yu Clan |
| Status | Yu Clan-controlled; exclusive control threatened by the emergence of a hundred-thousand-year pureblood Taotie 46 48 |
| First Appearance | 16 |
Background / History
Dragon Valley was established by the Yu Clan's ancestors through force and passed down as a foundation of the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect for thousands of years. The sect treated it as private territory, but pledged at its founding to admit independent soul masters who paid for access to hunt soul beasts and acquire soul rings. 16 46 48
The valley was long regarded as a controlled symbol of the sect's power, though its deepest regions remained unexplored. The discovery of a hundred-thousand-year pureblood Taotie revealed that its hidden dangers and resources exceeded the Yu Clan's understanding. 46 48
Lu Mingfei's awakening of the Black Dragon King's dragon might reached the valley's core, compelling ancient dragon-type soul beasts to submit and rousing a dormant dragon soul. The dragon soul ordered its Taotie guardian to bring Lu Mingfei to its secret realm, triggering a mass beast tide that drove soul beasts from the depths toward the entrance. 32 35 36
After the dragon soul gave Lu Mingfei its million-year torso bone, the Taotie carried him back to the valley entrance and returned to the depths. Huang Fei was gravely injured while trying to protect Lu Mingfei from the Taotie; she later recovered consciousness in Dragon Valley Town and was returned to Spirit Hall after treatment by the Yu Clan. 42 44 45 66 70
The Taotie's appearance exposed Dragon Valley's vulnerability to outside powers. Spirit Hall, the Seven Great Sects, and the two empires were expected to seek joint management and exploration, making continued exclusive Yu Clan control unlikely. 46 48
Geography
Entrance and Dragon Valley Town
Dragon Valley is an enormous crimson canyon where broken mountain ranges form cliffs that rise into the clouds. Mist fills its depths, beast roars carry from within, and the rock walls bear claw marks left by enormous dragon beasts. 18 20
Dragon Valley Town is the nearest supply settlement outside the valley. Built into the surrounding mountains, it has orderly bluestone buildings, clean streets, and a population composed largely of Yu Clan descendants and affiliated forces. Guards in Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect armor control entry. 18
- Dragon Valley Trading House — Sect-operated trading house where hunters pay fees and receive passage tokens. A wall map marks the Outer, Middle, and Inner Valleys, along with known dragon-beast activity ranges. 18
- Dragon Valley Passage tokens — Dark-blue metal tokens bearing a Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon. Two tokens cost Huang Fei and Lu Mingfei one thousand gold soul coins; they permitted seven days of Outer Valley access. 18
- Entry restrictions — Unauthorized entry into the Middle or Inner Valley is forbidden, and the sect assumes no responsibility for hunters' deaths. 18
- Entrance defenses — The stone path from town to the gorge is lined with pillars and iron chains carved with sealing runes, arranged to keep soul beasts from escaping. Sect guards inspect passage tokens at the entrance. 19
Regional divisions
| Region | Known inhabitants and conditions | Access |
|---|---|---|
| Outer Valley | Primarily century- and thousand-year dragon beasts; dense Dragonblood Trees and Dragon Saliva Fruit grow along the valley paths. 20 | Available to paid hunters with passage tokens. 18 |
| Middle Valley | Ten-thousand-year dragon beasts inhabit this region. 20 | Forbidden to ordinary token holders. 18 |
| Inner Valley | Said to contain dragon kings at least seventy thousand years old; the core also housed the pureblood Taotie. 20 35 | Forbidden to ordinary token holders. 18 |
| Core secret realm | A mist-shrouded sanctuary avoided even by dragon beasts exceeding seventy thousand years. Its ancient rune-covered stone platform held a million-year dragon torso bone and its dormant dragon soul until the soul gave the bone to Lu Mingfei. 34 43 44 | Guarded by the Taotie; inaccessible to ordinary hunters. 35 43 |
Ecosystem
Dragon Valley contains dragon-type soul beasts of varied bloodlines and attributes, including fire, ice, poison, earth, and winged dragons. Its dragon beasts are valued for the compatibility of their soul rings with dragon-type martial souls. 16 17
- Outer Valley examples: Blazing Earth Dragons, Earthshell Dragons, Windwing Dragons, Spineback Dragons, Thorn Earth Dragons, Venom Lizard Dragons, and Ironclad Dragon Bears. 20 21 23
- Other hunted soul beasts: Lu Mingfei obtained his first soul ring from a Godly Taotie Bull. Meng Yiran hunted a Dragonblood Mandala Snake, while Dugu Yan hunted a Jade Phosphorous Serpent. 24 26 31
- Higher-level threats: Ten-thousand-year subdragons, including Earthfire Lizards, Ice Dragon Beasts, Thunder Giant Pythons, Ice Dragon Silkworms, and Golden-Armored Dragons. 37
- Ancient inhabitants: Tyrannosaurs, Ceratopsians, Rainbow Dragons, and other dragon-type soul beasts with cultivation beyond seventy thousand years. 32 35
- Apex guardian: A hundred-thousand-year pureblood Taotie guarded the dragon soul's sanctuary and could overwhelm even powerful soul masters. 35 42 48
Notable Events
- Public hunting ground — Bibi Dong sends Lu Mingfei to Dragon Valley because its dragon-type soul beasts are considered better suited to his Black Dragon King martial soul than comparable beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest. 16
- First soul-ring expedition — Lu Mingfei and Huang Fei enter through Dragon Valley Town, search the Outer Valley, and reject unsuitable targets such as the Ironclad Dragon Bear. Lu Mingfei ultimately obtains a thousand-year first soul ring from a Godly Taotie Bull. 18 20 21 25 31 34
- Dragon's might eruption — Lu Mingfei's awakening sends an overwhelming dragon-blood authority across the entire valley, forcing dragon-type soul beasts and dragon-blood martial souls into submission. 32 33
- Beast tide — The awakened dragon soul dispatches the Taotie from the secret realm; panicked dragon beasts flee toward the outskirts, creating an unprecedented beast tide. Lu Mingfei's Dustless Domain helps shield other hunters from charging soul beasts. 35 36 38
- Dragon soul inheritance — The dragon soul recognizes Lu Mingfei's Black Dragon King as the origin of all dragons and grants him its million-year torso bone. The Taotie subsequently returns him to the valley entrance. 43 44 45
- Territorial crisis — News of the Taotie and the valley's undiscovered depths threatens the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Sect's sole control over Dragon Valley. 46 48